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@uiten gieten ige-tent @fitta GEORGE HANLON, vtfiLL'IAM HANLON, ALFRED HANLON, EDWARD HANLON,

- AND FREDERICK-Hannon, or NEW YORK, N. r.

Letters Patent No. 79,654, dated .Julu 7. 1868.

'IMPBYEMENT IN VELOCIPEDES,

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Beit known that we, Gsoaon HANLON, WInLIAn Hannon, ALFRED Hannon, EDWARD HANLoN, and FEED ERICK HANLON, of the city, county, and State of 'New York, have invented a new and improved Velocipfedez;

` and we do hereby declare that the following` is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable. others 'skilled iu the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, 'forming a partof this'specicati-on.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of our improvedvelocipede. Figure 2 is a. plan or top view of the same.

Figure 3 is a detail plan view of the salire'.A

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the velocipede now in use, and which isuimproved by our invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. i

This invention relates to certain improvements on that kind oivelocipedes which are generally used with two wheels only, which are driven by a' personsitting on the perch, and working, with hisV feet, cranks on the axle of the front-wheel.

.The object of ourinvention is to so construct the Vrelocipede that it can be used vby various-sized persons, and that 1t may be balanced by the addition of a third wheel for persons learning to use it.

Our invention consists, irst', in making the seat adjustable on tho inclined'peroh, and in also making'the foot-rests on the front axle lengthwise adjustable, so-that the whole apparatus may be used by 'either large or small persons. I

The invention also consists in so hanging the rearaxle in the forked rear end of' the perch` that either one or two wheels may be hung on it. Persons learning to use the instrument should first use three wheels, the

two on one axlebeing far enough apart'to allow the instrument to stand Hrm. Experts, however, `only use one wheel on each of the two axles.

T o more fiilly understand our invention, it will be necessary to describe the apparatus now in use, and on which ours is an improvement.' `This apparatus is illustrated in jig. 4. i

In the same are the two axles A-B, which are hung in pendants a b, projecting downward from a horizontal baror frame C.

The pendant a of thefront axle is swivolled in the frame, to allow the steering of the apparatus. The rear pendant@ is rigidly secured to the axle. On eachI axle is hung or mountedone wheel, D.

E is the'seat. The sume is secured upon a spring-bar, F, which is, with its end, fixed in suitable manner .to the connecting-bar C.

From theends of the front axle Aproject, inl opposite directions, cranks c c, Ato tho ends of which footrests d ,arc swivelled. i o The operator, sitting onin the seat E, turns the axle A by means of his feet, and steers the apparatus, by turning the pendaninfhy means of the handles e.

It will he .seen that such an apparatus, when once constructed, cannot be adjusted to persons ofl different size, and the machines have therefore to be made of various sizes to adapt lthe/ni to the sizes ofthe owners. Furthermore, the apparatus is too heavy and clumsy to be of any practical value.

- Our apparatusconsists also`ot two axles, A B, hung in. a perch or Iframe, C; that is, the front axle A is hangin a swivclld pendant, a, which has handles, e, for steering purposes, while the rear axle, B, is hung:7 directly in the rear end of the perch or bar CI The-'frontend of the perch is raised, to 'let thefront wheel D work under it, but itsvrear end is brought down to a'lev'el with the axle B, as shown. The perch is thus in an inclinedposition, as shown in g. 1. The

rear end of the porch is forked, to have doublesnpports for the rear' axle B, and to let the rear wheel G work in the fork, as shown in g. 2.

` For beginners, it will be well to take oil the wheel G, and to put two Wheels, H H, on the ends oi' the axle B, as in fig. o. These wheels, as the student becomes more expert, can be brought nearer together gradually l until they are so close together that he will lnot perceive much difference in using but one wheel.

The seat E is secured toene endof a fiat or other spring, I, which is, by means of clampsf and screws g, fastened to the inclined perch C. By loosening the screws g, theseat may be adjusted on the perch so as to be brought nearer to or further away from the front axle, to adapt the apparatus to persons ofdierent sizes.

The seat may be of suitable shape or construction, and may be fitted for ladies use, it' desired.

The device for fastening the spring to.th'e perchlmay be as shown, lor of other suitable construction.

lQ'Lhe front axie has cranks c c, to which foot-rests d d are pivoted. v 4

Each ofthe crankls is composed of two pieces, one piece', z', being attached to the axle A, while the other piece,'j, carries the foot-resitfv The two pieces are vconnected by means iof' a screw, k, andone of them is slotted,

yas in 5g. 3, to make the cranks lengthwise adjustable. In this manner the foot-rests can be brought nearer to or further away from the seat, and the extension-cranks therefor aid in making the apparatus adjustable, for dilerent-sized persons. It is evident that either the adjustable seat or the extension-cranks may alone make the apparatus adjustable; still, both may be used together on one machine. The handles e may, if desired, be also made extensible. 4

The wheels may have rubber ringsaround. the tires, to make them noiseless', and to prevent them from slipping. i A I 'I Having thus described our invention, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by -Letters Patent, is-

1. The seatE, when secured upon the end of 'aspringLL and when adjustable on the perch C, substan-A tially as described for the purpose set forth. l

2. The extension-'crank C, on thefronVaxl-e A, of the vclocipede, when arranged` as described, for the purpose ofmakingthe velocipede adjustable, as setiforth.

3. Providing the'perch or connecting-frame C-with a forked rear end, for the purpose of-allowing the use of the wheel G- `within, or'of two wheels H H without, the fork, as specified.

4. A velocipede, consisting ofthe bifurcated perch C, carrying the axles A B, of thefront wheel D, and rear wheel G, or wheels H, of the adjustable spring-seat E, andlof the extension-cranks c-,on the front axle, all made and yoperating substantially. as vherein shown and. described..-

' GEO. HANLON,

WM. HANLON, ALFRED ,HANLOIL EDWARD HANLON, Witnesses: i FREDK HNLON.

FRANK BLOGKLEY, FRANK R1vEns, H. N. DAVIS, Jr. 

